In the field of wearing apparel, traditional belts fasten and/or unfasten in the front of the wearer's waist above the zipper and button or snap. This traditional styling is difficult for the wearer of equestrian riding breeches, pants or trousers with side zippers. These wearers have to remove the belt from the belt loops and in some cases half remove or totally remove the belt from the breeches, trousers, or pants when they need to remove or lower their garment. It is an object of the present invention to provide a leather belt and method of making the same that overcomes the disadvantages and limitations of the prior art. Specifically, the present invention provides a means for adjusting a belt to better fit side-zip garments and provides an easier means of putting on and taking off side zip garments.
Traditional waist belts are made with belting material and hardware manufactured specifically for waist belts and in the standard buckle styles and sizes for apparel. The present invention utilizes leather and hardware specifically made for equine tack rather than apparel. Traditional waist belts have five holes to select from for sizing and these holes are typically placed one inch apart. Accordingly, traditional belts have only three or four inches of possible size adjustment. The present invention has the traditional five holes for size adjustment on the larger billet end (placed one inch apart) and an additional three holes for size adjustment on the smaller billet end (placed three-quarters of an inch apart) thereby providing an additional inch to an inch and one half of size adjustment and a more custom, tailored fit.